Fashion PR 101: So, What Do Fashion Publicists Do?

The world of Fashion Public Relations is an exhilarating, fast-paced field where the hours are long, and the work is extensive. Those who have mastered the skills of promoting fashion to a clothes-conscious public will prosper. It is a hands-on job, working with either a single brand or many brands, small or major, that’s learned by doing.

The fashion industry is not a minor industry. Quite the opposite, it’s huge. Furthermore, fashion dictates many of the behaviors and attitudes of the public. But it’s a full industry that is highly competitive. Although it is an exciting area, it is also a stressful one, particularly during Fashion Week, a most important week for the fashion industry.

How do you as a fashion influencer not only get the word out about your client’s fashion line but also make a public faced with myriad choices interested in what your clients have to offer? How do you make the brand grow? The role of a Public Relations Representative in the fashion world is critical and any individual attempting to explore this world must be proficient at the following steps:

1. You Must Create A Strong Brand For Your Client

What is a strong brand in the fashion industry? It’s the one image that every member of the public must have when they think of your client’s styles. Failure to create a distinctive brand will most certainly mean failure for your client. What skills do you have to narrow the focus of the apparel you are promoting? What is one or two things about your clients line that are distinctive? This is the single most important job of a Fashion Public Relations professional, and it is where all other responsibilities in the industry are born. The PR professional is in the background, but the brand must always be front and center.

2. You Must Know How To Work With Fashion Editors

One of the most important jobs for a Fashion Public Relations professional is to work with the editors of fashion magazines, particularly major fashion magazines. It’s the PR professional’s responsibility to develop relationships with fashion editors and their writing and photography teams. Effective buzz is created by fashion magazine teams to launch and promote a line. However, not every fashion designer’s creations will make it into the pages of major fashion magazines. As with all things in the fashion business, competition is severe. What can you do to beat the competition for your clients?

3. You Must Work With Models And Celebrities

New fashion won’t see the light of day if it is not presented by people who are admired by the public. That would include not only beautiful well-known models but also celebrities. When a celebrity wears a certain piece, the public, by way of fashion magazines and other venues, find out about it and want it. How skilled are you in working with models and celebrities and the agents who represent them? You will be expected to attend fashion shows, red carpet events, award shows, and other events that cater to your clients fashions. You’ll be expecting to do everything possible to get the word out. Here is where people skills are crucial. You’ll be mingling with some of the most important persons in the fashion industry, and word spreads fast. Failure to communicate efficiently and present a pleasing image will be a certain failure for your efforts as a PR professional and for your clients.

4. You Must Be Ready to Put out Fires

Not only may you be expected to work with editors and people on the inside, but you’ll also work with customers, retail stores, and fashion companies. What skills do you have to make sure the customer is happy? What will you do if disaster strikes, such as a damaged shipment or merchandise that does not arrive on time? How good are you at handling complaints and keeping your client in a popular and positive light?

5. You Must Understand Media Trends

Interviews, press conferences, and press releases are an important part of the responsibilities of a Fashion Public Relations professional. A PR person must keep a strong relationship with the media. The ability to work with the media in gaining continued attention for your client’s fashion is how to keep the fashion front and center in the public’s eye. While doing that, a PR fashion professional must have the skills to handle the tough questions.

With billions of people on social media, it is not an element of society that a Fashion Public Relations professional can ignore. Instagram, for example, is an active social media tool to display fashion to the public. There are at least 300 million people on Instagram who can be shown a client’s styles on a daily basis. How proficient are you on working effectively with social media or on hiring and overseeing a professional social media expert to take over the reigns of this important responsibility? Also, in addition to revealing and presenting the clothes themselves, the day to day operations of a PR professional is increasingly about giving the public a more intimate look into the behind the scenes details of the fashion brand.

6. You Must Be Organized And Able To Prove the Value of Your Work

There may be everything from stockholder’s reports, media resources, market resource publications, press releases and client reports to manage. You will be expected to keep the system moving for your clients while proving your value, over and over again.

The life of a Public Relations Fashion Specialist is an exciting one for someone who believes in the fashion and who can sincerely commit to the lines represented. You must be hardworking, personable, innovated and organized to be a successful Fashion Public Relations Specialist.

About Jonathan Leger

About Jonathan Leger is a small business owner and freelance writer. He also runs a popular question and answer site at AnswerThis.co.